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Secured credit cards with no deposit

Explore a variety of no deposit, low deposit and second chance secured credit cards.

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By

Bethany Hickey

Edited by

Holly Jennings

Updated

Fact checked
Although secured credit cards without deposit requirements are rare, there are secured cards that don’t require a deposit upfront — and don’t check your credit score, either. These nifty secured cards work similarly to a debit card and are backed by a bank account instead of a cash deposit. But if those aren’t your cup of tea, there are plenty of low-deposit secured cards to consider too.

Secured credit cards with no deposit

While rare, some secured credit cards don’t require a security deposit. Instead of a security deposit, they require you to link an existing bank account to back the card. The account’s balance is what sets your spending limit.

Current Credit Building Card

9.2 Excellent

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Current, a fintech company with banking services, offers the secured Current Build Card. This card has no deposit requirements, no credit check, no APR and no annual fees. The Build Card requires you to have a Current all-in-one bank account. That account has savings pods, paycheck advances for eligible users, early payday, and is free to open and maintain. The amount in your Current account sets your credit limit for the Build Card, so you can only spend what you have. You can set up autopay to pay off your Build Card and earn rewards points at over 14,000 participating merchants. But if you don't opt into autopay and are late on a payment, there's a 3% late fee. Current only reports to TransUnion, but does have plans to report to other bureaus eventually.
Welcome Offer n/a
Rewards Up to 7 % cash back
Annual fee $0
Minimum credit score New / limited credit

Step Black Card

8.6 Great

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The secured Step Black Card offers up to 8% cashback rewards, credit-building opportunities, Visa Signature perks and more. There's no opening deposit or interest charges, either. Similar to other secured cards with no deposit, the Step Black Card is backed by an account, and this one is secured by the Step account. Opening a Step account is free to open, and the Black Card's credit limit is based on your Step account balance. The downside is there's a $0 annual fee, but that's a typical price for credit cards with rewards. Step also offers a free secured card option with no monthly or annual fees that can earn up to 3% cash back.
Welcome Offer n/a
Rewards Up to 10 % cash back
Annual fee $0
Minimum credit score New / limited credit

5 low deposit secured credit card alternatives

Most traditional secured credit cards require at least $200 to open, but you’ve still got other options that accept lower amounts or simply require setting up direct deposit.

Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card

8.8 Great

A more traditional secured card option, the Capital One Platinum Secured Card has one of the lowest deposit requirements in the market. You can make a security deposit as low as $49, $99 or $200, and those minimum deposit amounts offer a $200 credit limit. You can also raise your credit limit by depositing more. Enjoy no foreign transaction fees or card replacement fees, and Capital One reports to all three credit bureaus. You'll also have upgrade options if you stay on top of the payments — not something included with debit-credit cards. However, like a regular credit card, you'll have to deal with interest charges, which is a high purchase rate of 29.74% variable APR.
Welcome Offer n/a
Rewards None
Annual fee $0
Minimum credit score New / limited credit

Cleo Credit Builder card

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The Cleo Credit Builder Card and membership can amount to a full all-in-one banking experience with credit-building opportunities. The Cleo Credit Builder card is backed by the Cleo account. To qualify for this card, you'll need a Cleo account and the Credit Builder paid membership for $14.99 per month — equivalent to about $180 yearly — and a deposit of at least $1. There's no hard credit pull and no interest charges, and Cleo reports to all three credit bureaus. The paid membership also gives you access to other features, such as cash advances, cashback rewards and challenges, a Cleo wallet and more. However, the membership cost makes this card more expensive than other options.
Welcome Offer n/a
Rewards Up to 7 % cash back
Annual fee $179.88
Minimum credit score 300

secured Self Visa® Credit Card

8 Great

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With a low minimum deposit of $100, the secured Self Visa® Credit Card doesn't have any credit score requirements or hard credit checks. To get this card, you need a $100 deposit. Then, you can apply for the secured Self Visa® Credit Card and choose your credit limit. In short, the Credit Builder account secures the credit card, and you'll need to have saved at least $100 to get the line of credit. While it takes some time to set up, the lack of credit check might be worth it. It's also worth noting that the APR is surprisingly low at 27.74% to 28.24% variable, as most credit cards without a credit check can charge APRs well above 30%. But there's a $25 annual fee after the first year.
Welcome Offer n/a
Rewards None
Annual fee $25 after the first year intro

Chime Card™

9.6 Excellent

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Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. The secured Chime Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card is issued by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used everywhere Visa credit cards are accepted. Please see the back of your card for its issuing bank.
To apply for Credit Builder, you must have received a single qualifying direct deposit of $200 or more to your Chime Checking Account. The qualifying direct deposit must be from your employer, payroll provider, gig economy payer, or benefits payer by Automated Clearing House (ACH) deposit OR Original Credit Transaction (OCT). Bank ACH transfers, Pay Anyone transfers, verification or trial deposits from financial institutions, peer to peer transfers from services such as PayPal, Cash App, or Venmo, mobile check deposits, cash loads or deposits, one-time direct deposits, such as tax refunds and other similar transactions, and any deposit to which Chime deems to not be a qualifying direct deposit are not qualifying direct deposits.
Money added to Credit Builder will be held in a secured account as collateral for your Credit Builder Visa card, which means you can spend up to this amount on your card. This is money you can use to pay off your charges at the end of every month.
*Out-of-network ATM withdrawal and OTC advance fees may apply. View the Bancorp agreement or Stride agreement for details; see back of card for issuer.
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Chime is a fintech company with banking services provided by its partner banks. To qualify for the Chime Card, you must have Chime's Checking account. However, there's no upfront cash deposit required. The balance in your Chime account acts as your credit limit on the Credit Builder Card, so you can only spend what you have. There are also no interest charges, no annual fees and Chime won't check your credit. Also, Chime doesn't use ChexSystems, so your banking history isn't a factor in approval odds for its accounts. And Chime's checking doesn't have any monthly or annual fees.
Welcome Offer n/a
Rewards None
Annual fee $0
Minimum credit score 300

Discover it® Secured

8.8 Great

A top secured card option, the Discover It card requires a security deposit of at least $200. While not as low as other options, this card offers 2% cash back up to $1,000 at gas stations and restaurants, unlimited 1% on all other purchases and unlimited dollar-for-dollar match for all cash back earned in the first year. After seven months, Discover evaluates your payment history, and if you made all your payments on time, your security deposit is refunded. However, you'll have to watch out for the APR, which is 27.24% for purchases, and there's a hard credit pull.
Welcome Offer Other
Rewards Up to 2 % cash back
Annual fee $0
Minimum credit score 300

Can secured credit cards with no deposit help with bad credit?

Yes, they can — provided the bank or fintech reports to the credit bureaus and you make payments on time they’re a good option if you want to improve your credit. The plus side of secured cards backed by a bank account is that your account balance determines your credit limit, and your credit utilization ratio isn’t reported to the credit bureaus, but your payment history is.

Most credit-building cards, like Fizz and Current, offer autopay to help with timely payments. Secured credit cards also tend to have less stringent credit score requirements when applying, and many debit-credit cards don’t check your credit history. If your goal is to build your credit score, get a card that reports to all three major credit bureaus, as this will help maximize your chances of recovery.

Second chance credit cards with no deposits

Second chance credit cards are designed for those with lower credit scores who can’t qualify for other cards. These are traditional unsecured credit cards, so they won’t require a cash deposit but have less stringent credit score requirements.

Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa®

6.6 Standard

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Terms apply, see rates & fees
Though it's not a real credit card, Upgrade's Cash Rewards card can work like one. Offering a 0% intro APR and 14.99% to 29.99% APR after that, a 1.5% cashback rewards rate, and a credit line between $500 to $25,000, it's a good starter card or one you can use to improve your credit score. This card works a little differently than regular credit cards and can be thought of as getting a line of credit you repay with mini installment loans. If approved, you can use the card to make purchases and earn cash back, and then you repay your balance in equal installments like a personal loan. This card can also accept those with credit scores as low as 600. There's no annual fee or security deposit, but you'll have to endure a hard credit pull when you apply.
Welcome Offer $200
Rewards Up to 1.5 % cash back
Annual fee $0
Minimum credit score 600

Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding Credit

7 Great

Designed to help you rebuild your credit history, Credit One's Platinum Visa accepts credit scores as low as 500. This card offers 1% cash back on gas, groceries, and things like phone and cable bills. There are also limited-time offers with up to 10% cash back on eligible purchases. Credit One will review your payment history regularly to see if you qualify for a credit line increase. The annual fee is $75 for the first year and $99 after that, which is standard for rewards credit cards. There's no security deposit since this is an unsecured credit card, and the minimum credit line is $300. However, the APR isn't great at 29.24%, so be sure to repay your balance on time to avoid excessive interest charges.
Welcome Offer n/a
Rewards Up to 1 % cash back
Annual fee $0 to $99

Petal® 1 "No Annual Fee" Visa® Credit Card

9 Excellent

Petal is a top card for turning around a bad credit score or a great starter card, as there's no security deposit, annual fee or foreign transaction fees. Cashback rewards range from 2% to 10% at eligible merchants, which isn't a given with most other starter cards. Petal accepts a variety of credit scores, ranging from no credit to fair or credit scores from 580 and up. The credit limit is decent as well, ranging from $300 to $5,000, and you could become eligible for credit line increases with timely payments, but there's no set timeline for these increases. The APR is okay, and depending on your creditworthiness, you may get a variable APR from 28.24% to 33.24%.
Welcome Offer n/a
Rewards Up to 10 % cash back
Annual fee $0
Minimum credit score 550

Do second-chance credit cards come with guaranteed approval?

Nothing is guaranteed with credit cards. Even if a provider states they won’t check your credit score, they’re still likely to look at other factors, such as your income, other debts and work history, to be sure you can repay the card.

While no credit check cards are likely to have a higher approval rate than those that require good credit, you’ll still have to meet some other requirements to be approved.

Bottom line

A variety of secured, unsecured and unique credit card options are available for those of all credit types and lifestyles. Rewards, travel and second-chance credit cards are abundant, and for more options, compare the best credit cards.

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To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Holly Jennings as part of our fact-checking process.
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Written by

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Bethany Hickey is the banking editor and personal finance expert at Finder, specializing in banking, lending, insurance, and crypto. Bethany’s expertise in personal finance has garnered recognition from esteemed media outlets, such as Nasdaq, MSN, Yahoo Finance, GOBankingRates, SuperMoney, AOL and Newsweek. Her articles offer practical financial strategies to Americans, empowering them to make decisions that meet their financial goals. Her past work includes articles on generational spending and saving habits, lending, budgeting and managing debt. Before joining Finder, she was a content manager where she wrote hundreds of articles and news pieces on auto financing and credit repair for CarsDirect, Auto Credit Express and The Car Connection, among others. Bethany holds a BA in English from the University of Michigan-Flint, and was poetry editor for the university’s Qua Literary and Fine Arts Magazine. See full bio

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5 Responses

    Larry's avatar
    LarryMarch 2, 2019

    What would you consider to be the best secured card for someone who has no bank account and a card that require no credit check to ensure getting approved?

    Ray's avatar
    RayNovember 30, 2018

    I was inquiring about the DCU secured card and was told by their representative they had a minimum deposit of $300, is this true?

      nikkiangco's avatar
      nikkiangcoDecember 6, 2018

      Hi Ray,

      Thanks for getting in touch.

      The deposit for DCU Visa Platinum secured credit card works a little differently from other secured cards. Your deposit isn’t held separately as collateral. You borrow against your savings account, so this card acts more like a debit or checking card. Your deposit isn’t held and then returned after closing the account; it’s always available.

      You need to have at least $5 in your account, and then however much you have up to your credit limit is how much you can put on the card. For example, if your limit is $300, you’d need at least $300 in your account, which includes the minimum $5.

      Hope this helps!

      Best,
      Nikki

    Mike's avatar
    MikeFebruary 28, 2018

    What would be the best card to gain better credit standing overall? Does any card in particular provided more credit worthiness?

    Thanks in advance,

    -Mike

      joelmarcelo's avatar
      joelmarceloMarch 7, 2018

      Hi Mike,

      Thanks for leaving a question on finder.

      Credit card providers will carefully consider any “bad credit” details – such as late payments or defaults – that are listed on your credit report. So, if you want to apply for a credit card to help improve your credit rating, sticking to basic options can improve your chances of getting approval.

      Another option is to consider credit cards with no annual fee or a low standard interest rate. These kinds of cards can help keep the cost of the account down and make it easier for you to avoid late payments, defaults and other problems that lead to bad credit.

      Cheers,
      Joel

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